Let it Begin! Ocean City Summer Project 2012

It’s that time already! I just arrived in Ocean City for the start of project.  I am excited to see what God does this summer.  I don’t have too terribly much to say yet since project has just started.  It has been a whirlwind of getting to know people so far.  There are so many names to remember! I do ask that you pray for me and the others here.

Please pray for

• safe travel for students who's flights were delayed because of weather and such!
• safe travel for the quarter students who come out in a few weeks.
• for the quarter students to focus on the classes they still need to finish before they can come out
• and for a smooth transition into project life for them
• Quick and easy job search and that God brings us to the jobs he wants us at
• For job training to go well
• A quick transition into project life
• For bible study groups to meld together
• For me and others to make friends
• For training to share the gospel to go well
• For open hearts to the gospel
• to remember names! (of peeps on project and peeps we work with and share with)

feel free to shoot me an email at ooms@purdue.edu! I will try and respond promptly.  I have a hard time responding to texts during the day, which means I'd probably forget about it.

What Does a Good Ministry Look Like? Evangelism

One thing that should be common between every Christian ministry is the fact that they evanglize.  In Matthew 28, Jesus calls us to what is called the Great Commision. Aka, go out and tell people about Jesus!

Evangelism

Evangelism will look different from ministry to ministry.  I do believe that it is important for every ministry to take part in the two main types of evangelism, relational and initiative.  There are different styles to do both which is fine, but I believe for various reasons it is important to develop both types of evangelism within a ministry.

Relational Evangelism

This is the type of evangelism that people are the most comfortable with, both Christian and non-Christian.  It takes the least amount of effort...and probably the most amount of effort at the same time.  I'd say it is pretty easy to understand.  Befriend non-Christians and witness to them over time.  Sometimes it is by what we do, other times it is what we say.  I think its important to bring up spiritual matters with these friends we make, no matter how awkward it is.

Penn Jillette a well-known athiest had this to say about sharing your faith in a video on youtube.

How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them?

Think about it. If you can't get over yourself enough to tell them about Jesus, about his love, our condition, his gift, and that we can freely receive it, you need to rethink things.
Now this isn't to say that all  we talk about has to be about Jesus. That is just silly. I think everything we talk about can point towards Jesus though.  Glorify Christ with your words and actions my friends.

Doing various outreaches can be another way to do relational evangelism, for example, PurdueCru's I am Second campain.  Another simple thing is having a basketball outreach with guys from your floor

Intentional Evangelism

It seems like few people can honestly say this is a type of evangelism they like and enjoy. At this moment, I don't have any Biblical reasons as to why I think this is type is important. One reason I think it is important is it is a great reminder of how we need to rely on Christ and the Holy Spirit when going out and telling others about Jesus, whether we do it relationally or intentionally.

It seems like the least preferred style is open-air preaching.  Standing on a corner preaching, telling people of the love of Christ or that they are going to hell...I personally don't like this style, but I wouldn't say it shouldn't be done.  I'm sure people are saved because of these styles and the boldness it takes to do it.

I think going out and intentionally starting conversations with strangers is a good thing , as awkward as it is.  It is a good way to practice listening to the people we talk to. It is important to practice reflective listening  with people we try to talk to because it shows that we really care.  I'd say it reflects Christ's love when we are really interested in these people's lives.

These are all rough insights into evangelism, for more thoughts just ask me bro.

 If you talk to 99 people and fail, so what! you glorified Christ by trying! If only 1 out of 1,000 people you talk to comes to know Christ, your efforts were worth it.  You may just be a part of some of the other people's faith journey, helping them take a step towards Christ.

So. Basically. PEOPLE! Get up! Get out! and tell people about Jesus! Don't waste a moment to glorify Christ by simply trying!

What does a good ministry look like? PRAYER

As an individual Christian, its important to be developing the core ministry qualities.   Each one looks different from person to person.  Here are my thoughts on what prayer could generally look like in your life and ministry.


Prayer

I believe there are three focuses of prayer that a Christian should do.  Those different focuses are God, self, and others.  I also believe it is important to pray on your own and to pray with others.

But first, how do you pray? Pray as if you're having a conversation with God. You don't need to use any special language.  You can speak to him as if you're talking to your best friend. Don't babble on, Matthew 6:7. You should pray  believing what you are praising, what you're asking is true and will come true. Here are some qualities you could show with prayer and Bible verses to back them up. Be humble, 2 Chronicles 7:14, wholeheartedness, Jeremiah 29:13, faith, Mark 11:24, righteousness, James 5:16, and obedience, 1 John 3:22.

It is important to be able to communicate with our Lord and Savior. Why? If you were in a relationship with a guy or girl, would you be able to grow closer to him/her if you didn't speak to him/her? No. That is just silly. You say you don't feel like you're prayers are heard or that they're answered?  Psalms 34:17 and 91:15 say the Lord hears our every cries and delivers us from them. The Lord has a reason for everything that happens, it should draw us closer to Him.

Jesus set an example for us prayer wise in Luke 6:12.  Jesus would sometimes leave to go in a private place and pray by himself.  Mark 1:35 and Luke 5:15-16 also show Jesus withdrawing and finding places to pray. Matthew 6:6 tells us we should do the same.  Praying in solitude gives God our sole attention and focus.  It can help put things back into perspective.

Matthew 18:19 says that "if two of you agree about anything you ask for, it will be done." Luke 1:10 and Acts 1:14 talks about praying with others.  The Bible tells us to pray with others, so it is important as a ministry to lift up our prayers and praises to God together.

One of the main things we should pray about is God.  Psalm 100 tells us we should praise God and be thankful for the many blessings in life.  Hebrews 11:13 tells us we should continually be praising God, not only in prayer, but with our actions and inactions.  We should lift up praises for the good things in life and the bad things in life. For who else has lived a blameless life and died on the cross for sinners like you and me?

We should also pray for ourselves.  James 5:16 says we should confess our sins to one another, that is when the healing begins.  We must confess (and repent) to the Lord to be forgiven.  Psalm 51 is an example of King David confessing to the Lord and repenting.  I think its okay to pray for things we want, but its important to keep in mind that what the Lord wants and what we want may be two different things. Proverbs 16:9 says the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord determines his every step.  In Psalm 22 David exclaims "God! Why have you forsaken me?"  Jesus does the same thing in Matthew 27.  Voicing our concerns and frustrations to God is not a sin, it shows what we're really feeling and lets us open up to God.

And finally we should pray for others.  This has multiple levels.  I'd say it starts with family and friends, goes out to the ministry you're in, then goes to the community or institution you're in ( ex. Purdue U.), your nation, and also the world.  I think it is important to intentionally be a part of people's lives that are in your life.  Ask your friends every once in awhile or weekly how you can pray for them. Pray for your ministry, ask leaders if there are anything specific you can pray for.  Pray for your nation, for you leaders and President, whether you like them or not.  And lastly, pray for different parts of the world.  As a Christian it is good to be aware of the hurt around the world, it is a good reminder of our need for Christ and that our circumstances really aren't that bad.  You can get weekly emails about different countries and what is going on there.

So as a ministry, I recommend meeting regularly, whether its weekly, biweekly, or just monthly to pray for each other, the ministry, and the world.  Not everyone has to attend obviously.  You could plan out what you'd like to pray for in certain time slots within an hour or so. For example, you could praise and thank God for 20 minutes, pray for others for 20 minutes, and confess struggles and/or sins and have others pray for you for 20 minutes. This gets the people of the ministry together and most importantly helps us have an eternal perspective rather than a now and me perspective.

What does a good ministry look like? Pt. 1

Near the end of the school year during my d-time with my discipler Adam posed a question for me,

"What does a good ministry look like?"


I probably didn't give a very good answer at the time, but after some thought, I think I have a better idea of what it looks like and I'd like to share what I think it could look like.

I think to answer this thouroughly, one needs to step back and look at the Church itself and what it seems to have become here in America.  The Church in America seems to have become more about consumer Christianity. In other words it is about what the individual can get from the church or group or ministry, how they can grow, or where they are most comfortable.  Obviously not everyone who attends church today goes for those reasons, but it seems to be a vast majority of people.

After thinking about that I had a crazy idea. What if instead of being a consumer Christian, one became a maker Christian.  Meaning that instead of going to a church or ministry thinking "What can I get from this church?" One goes and thinks, "What can I do for this church?", "Is this where God wants me whether or not I am comfortable?"

Why would I consider those crazy thoughts? Those thoughts go against our human nature of selfishness and pride.  Its a more Christ-like perspective because one doesn't go into a ministry with a me mindset, but an others mindset.  The mindset of a servant.  Every Christian has a gift, whether it is to lead, to sing, to build things, to teach, to befriend people, to evangelize, or even having money.  Each gift can help others in a different way. We are all part of the body of Christ, united in the common goal of glorifying Christ.

Now that I have that out of the way, I believe there are essential qualities a good ministry has.  The three core qualities I would say a good ministry has well developed are prayer, evangelism, and discipleship.  I don't believe each person leading within the ministry needs to be great, but each core quality needs to be developing and growing for each person helping lead.  I'll explain these qualities in following posts, otherwise this note would get too long.  Weaved in and out of each of these qualities are qualities of a Christian striving after God. These qualities are Authenticity, Leading Courageously, Availability, Stewardship, Kingdom, and Always Faithful. These qualities I got from the Alaska Men's project 2011. I will explain these qualities in the following paragraphs.

Authenticity:
As a Christian authenticity means you have nothing to prove and nothing to lose.   Nothing else matters in the name of Christ.  Our identity is in Him and no other opinion really matters. With authenticity comes honesty and being open. One needs to be open with his or her close group of friends, confessing sins and struggles, so as a body we can grow more Christ-like by overcoming struggles together.  Confessing these sins and struggles will not only point ourselves to Christ and remind us of our need for Him, but it may also help point a non-Christian towards Him if we give our testimony.

Leading Courageously:
As Christians we are all called to lead, to lead ourselves, our families, and others.  Leadership looks different for everyone.  Some may be the people who make decisions, some may be the people who serve behind the scenes, some may just encourage others and point them towards Christ.  Jesus Christ is an obvious person to look at for leadership qualities.  Another place to look for good leadership qualities is Genesis 1-3.  I will probably dive deeper into those verses at a later date.

Availability:
We as Christians need to make ourselves available.  Most importantly we need to make ourselves available to God.  We need to set aside time each day to give to Him through prayer and Bible reading, maybe even a devotional.  We also need to be available to others, whether it is to listen to them, encourage them, or just spend time with them.  We need to be available to our friends, whether non-Christian or Christian.  Lastly we need to be available to ourselves.  That one may sound silly, but take it seriously.  God didn't need to rest on the seventh day of Creation, but He chose to as an example to us. We need to know when to rest and make ourselves Available to God.

Stewardship:
A Christian should be a good steward of their time, talent, and treasure.   As a Christian one shouldn't spend ample amounts of time on the internet (Facebook anyone?) or playing video games, maybe even reading too much.  We need to spend our time wisely, doing what we can to glorify Christ with our time.  Each of us has a different talent, whether it be athletic ability, knowledge, or some other skill set.   With these skill sets, we can use them to glorify Christ in some way.  Volunteer for a sports camp, tutor someone, play in the ministry band, or And lastly pretty much everyone has some sort of treasure they can give. Whether its money they can tithe or just help out a friend with.  Or maybe a car they can lend someone who needs to drive somewhere.

Kingdom:
This one is tightly knit with Evangelism.  Kingdom is God is the center of things.  He is the focus, the beginning, and the end. The final goal.  Creation and culture are valued, but differently than the world values them.  Romans 12:2 says we should be in the world, but not of it.  As Christians we shouldn't remove ourselves from the world and live in our own little Christian bubbles.  We need to be in the world, befriending those who do not know Christ and living life with a Kingdom focus, with a Christ focus sharing His Word glorifying Him.  That doesn't mean we change who we are to fit in with others, we should always stay faithful to Christ and who we are in Him.

Always Faithful:
This one can be taken at face-value.  One needs to always be faithful to God, to self, and to others.  Life is gonna suck at times, but no matter what God will get us through it, even if it means death.  We need to keep faith in Him.  Each bad thing that happens in life, each time we screw up, these are times that remind us of our need for a Savior.